Last week, 16 AP Government students took an early morning train to Sacramento to advocate at the state capital for state bills. Students chose state bills that they were interested in and were tasked with figuring out a way to advocate for the bill to state legislators. Some of the bills that students chose included extending a tax to support a fund for sea otters, supporting the health of pregnant women in prison, designating no-build zones in fire-prone regions, and extending support for zero-emission vehicles. Students were responsible for setting up meetings with legislative staff, writing policy memos, preparing a pitch for their meetings, and bringing props to help advocate for their point. One group filled soda bottles with the exact amount of sugar found in sugary drinks as a visual aid–an extraordinarily effective prop for their campaign to put labels on sugary drinks.